Integrating Positive Psychology and Autism: A Roundtable

Authors

Abstract

Positive psychology is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living, focusing on individual and societal wellbeing. 1It emphasizes the understanding and building of an individual's most positive qualities: optimism, courage, work ethic, future-mindedness, interpersonal skill, the capacity for pleasure and insight, and social responsibility. 2The poorer outcomes seen in autistic people, such as their lower quality of life and their heightened rates of mental illness and suicidality, [3][4][5] demonstrate the need for increased focus on wellbeing.Mental health professionals working with autistic people often feel they lack the tools to help clients achieve positive change. 6,7Autistic people often struggle to access these and other services, particularly if they have higher support needs. 8,9This often means that families must attempt to cater for unmet needs; 10,11 sometimes to the detriment of their own wellbeing.These points suggest that while positive psychology might be helpful for autistic people, it might also help professionals to help them, and as well as supporting wellbeing in those around them.Autism and positive psychology have historically experienced limited overlap. 12Recently, emerging research has suggested that positive psychology practices may support the well-being of autistic people [13][14][15] There may be opportunities, we suggest, to apply positive psychology practices with the wider autism community to promote improved wellbeing among autistics, their families, and service providers.This roundtable brought together autism and positive psychology scholars to explore those opportunities for synergy between the fields of autism and positive psychology, understand the barriers to useful cross-talk between these fields, and consider future directions for utilizing learnings from positive psychology for the benefit of autistic people and those who live and work with them.The following is a transcript of our discussion, with edits for clarity.

1. C. ROBERT CLONINGER (2005). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification . American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(4), 820-a-821. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.162.4.820-a OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1999414944

   OpenAlex
2. Martin E. P. Seligman , Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14. American Psychological Association (APA).

   Type: Article DOI: 10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.5 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2053133047

   Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
3. Victoria Newell , Lucy Phillips , Chris Jones , Ellen Townsend , Caroline Richards , Sarah Cassidy (2023). A systematic review and meta-analysis of suicidality in autistic and possibly autistic people without co-occurring intellectual disability . Molecular Autism, 14(1), 12-12. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.1186/s13229-023-00544-7 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4324354182

   Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
4. Raymond B. Cattell (1950). The Main Personality Factors in Questionnaire, Self-Estimate Material . The Journal of Social Psychology, 31(1), 3-38. Informa UK Limited.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/00224545.1950.9918993 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2000039509

   Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
5. Seligman MEP (1999). B2 American Psychologist, 54, 559.

   Type: Other

   Crossref
6. Nicola S. Schutte , John M. Malouff (2019). The Impact of Signature Character Strengths Interventions: A Meta-analysis . Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(4), 1179-1196. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10902-018-9990-2 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2804112224

   Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
7. María L. Martínez-Martí , Willibald Ruch (2014). Character strengths and well-being across the life span: data from a representative sample of German-speaking adults living in Switzerland . Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1253-1253. Frontiers Media SA.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01253 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2000069757

   Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
8. Meng-Chuan Lai (2023). Mental health challenges faced by autistic people . Nature Human Behaviour, 7(10), 1620-1637. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01718-2 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4387823017

   Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
9. Stefanie Richter , Llewellyn E. van Zyl , Lara C. Roll , Marius W. Stander (2021). Positive Psychological Coaching Tools and Techniques: A Systematic Review and Classification . Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 667200-667200. Frontiers Media SA.

   Type: Article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.667200 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3169336026

   Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
10. Dinah Murray *Autistic author. Learn more… , Mike Lesser *Autistic author. Learn more… , Wenn Lawson *Autistic author. Learn more… (2005). Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism . Autism, 9(2), 139-156. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361305051398 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2028337741

    AutiHub · Autistic Scholars Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
11. Kaitlin H. Koffer Miller , Dylan S. Cooper , Wei Song , Lindsay Shea (2022). Self-reported service needs and barriers reported by autistic adults: Differences by gender identity . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 92, 101916. Elsevier BV.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2022.101916 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4211141648

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
12. Elizabeth Pellicano , Unsa Fatima , Gabrielle Hall *Autistic author. Learn more… , Melanie Heyworth *Autistic author. Learn more… , Wenn Lawson *Autistic author. Learn more… , Rozanna Lilley et al. (2022). A capabilities approach to understanding and supporting autistic adulthood . Nature Reviews Psychology, 1(11), 624-639. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1038/s44159-022-00099-z OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4294631565

    AutiHub · Autistic Scholars AutiHub · Documentation center Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
13. Malin Ljungberg , Ulla‐Karin Schön (2023). Who cares? A scoping review about the experiences of parental caregivers of autistic adults . Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 36(5), 929-939. Wiley.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1111/jar.13126 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4379095398

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
14. Daniel J Tomasulo (2014). Positive group psychotherapy modified for adults with intellectual disabilities . Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 18(4), 337-350. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1744629514552153 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2097312520

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
15. Brenna B. Maddox , Samantha Crabbe , Rinad S Beidas , Lauren Brookman-Frazee , Carolyn C Cannuscio , Judith S. Miller et al. (2020). “I wouldn’t know where to start”: Perspectives from clinicians, agency leaders, and autistic adults on improving community mental health services for autistic adults . Autism, 24(4), 919-930. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361319882227 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2988923336

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
16. Jade Davies , Kate Cooper , Estelle Killick , Evelyn Sam , Molly Healy , Grace Thompson *Autistic author. Learn more… et al. (2024). Autistic identity: A systematic review of quantitative research . Autism Research, 17(5), 874-897. Wiley.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1002/aur.3105 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4391682465

    AutiHub · Autistic Scholars Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
17. Paul K. Piff , Pia Dietze , Matthew Feinberg , Daniel M. Stancato , Dacher Keltner (2015). Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(6), 883-899. American Psychological Association (APA).

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1037/pspi0000018 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2133404106

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
18. Laura Moore , Fionnuala Larkin , Sarah Foley (2024). Mental Health Professionals’ Experiences of Adapting Mental Health Interventions for Autistic Adults: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 54(7), 2484-2501. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06006-6 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4376598309

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
19. Hannah Rapaport , Hayley Clapham *Autistic author. Learn more… , Jonathan Adams *Autistic author. Learn more… , Wenn Lawson *Autistic author. Learn more… , Kaśka Porayska‐Pomsta , Elizabeth Pellicano (2024). “In a State of Flow”: A Qualitative Examination of Autistic Adults' Phenomenological Experiences of Task Immersion . Autism in Adulthood, 6(3), 362-373. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1089/aut.2023.0032 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4390013994

    AutiHub · Autistic Scholars Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
20. Jennifer Kirchner , Willibald Ruch , Isabel Dziobek (2016). Brief Report: Character Strengths in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Without Intellectual Impairment . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(10), 3330-3337. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-016-2865-7 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2497430009

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
21. Sarah Radev *Autistic author. Learn more… , Megan Freeth , Andrew R. Thompson (2024). How healthcare systems are experienced by autistic adults in the United Kingdom: A meta-ethnography . Autism, 28(9), 2166-2178. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/13623613241235531 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4392653807

    AutiHub · Autistic Scholars Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
22. Eftychia Stamkou , Eddie Brummelman , Rohan Dunham , Milica Nikolic , Dacher Keltner (2023). Awe Sparks Prosociality in Children . Psychological Science, 34(4), 455-467. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/09567976221150616 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4319302393

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
23. Cory L. Cobb , Nyla R. Branscombe , Alan Meca , Seth J. Schwartz , Dong Xie , Maria Cecilia Zea et al. (2019). Toward a Positive Psychology of Immigrants . Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(4), 619-632. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1745691619825848 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2935938228

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
24. Jessica Hughes , Ruth Roberts , Joanne Tarver , Cheryl Warters-Louth , Betty Zhang , Emma Southward et al. (2024). ‘It wasn’t the strategies on their own’: Exploring caregivers’ experiences of accessing services in the development of interventions for autistic people with intellectual disability . Autism, 28(5), 1231-1244. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/13623613231196084 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4386757810

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
25. Elizabeth Pellicano , Melanie Heyworth *Autistic author. Learn more… (2023). The Foundations of Autistic Flourishing . Current Psychiatry Reports, 25(9), 419-427. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s11920-023-01441-9 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4385663119

    AutiHub · Autistic Scholars AutiHub · Documentation center Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
26. Sara Woods , Annette Estes (2023). Toward a more comprehensive autism assessment: the survey of autistic strengths, skills, and interests . Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1264516-1264516. Frontiers Media SA.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1264516 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4387403669

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
27. Dora M Raymaker *Autistic author. Learn more… , Alan R. Teo , Nicole A. Steckler , Brandy Lentz , Mirah Scharer , Austin Delos Santos et al. (2020). “Having All of Your Internal Resources Exhausted Beyond Measure and Being Left with No Clean-Up Crew”: Defining Autistic Burnout . Autism in Adulthood, 2(2), 132-143. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1089/aut.2019.0079 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3015685928

    AutiHub · Autistic Scholars AutiHub · Documentation center Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
28. Alicja Sabina Nocon , Amanda Roestorf , Luz María Gutiérrez Menéndez (2022). Positive psychology in neurodiversity: An investigation of character strengths in autistic adults in the United Kingdom in a community setting . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 99, 102071. Elsevier BV.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2022.102071 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4309103017

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
29. Sandra Thom-Jones *Autistic author. Learn more… , Chloe S. Gordon , Muhammad Akram , Nicole Murphy , Fiona Sharkie (2022). Inclusion, Exclusion and Isolation of Autistic People: Community Attitudes and Autistic People’s Experiences . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(3), 1131-1142. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-04998-7 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3155415451

    AutiHub · Autistic Scholars Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
30. Emily C Taylor , Lucy A Livingston , Rachel A Clutterbuck , Mitchell J Callan , Punit Shah (2023). Psychological strengths and well-being: Strengths use predicts quality of life, well-being and mental health in autism . Autism, 27(6), 1826-1839. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/13623613221146440 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4316174534

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
31. Fabian Gander , Lisa Wagner , Lukas Amann , Willibald Ruch (2022). What are character strengths good for? A daily diary study on character strengths enactment . The Journal of Positive Psychology, 17(5), 718-728. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2021.1926532 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3161206914

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
32. Ariel E. Schwartz , Andrea Caoili , Joan B. Beasley , Jessica M. Kramer , Luther G. Kalb (2023). Clinical applications of the VIA Inventory of Strengths with Individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities . The Journal of Positive Psychology, 18(3), 439-448. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2022.2036797 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4211013833

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
33. Luke P. Grosvenor , Cheryl L. Errichetti , Calliope Holingue , Joan B. Beasley , Luther G. Kalb (2023). Self-Report Measurement of Well-Being in Autistic Adults: Psychometric Properties of the PERMA Profiler . Autism in Adulthood, 5(4), 401-410. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1089/aut.2022.0049 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4362474983

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
34. Pauli Niemela , Seoyong Kim (2014). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs . In Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research (pp. 3843-3846). Springer Netherlands.

    Type: Book chapter DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_1737 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4210842569

    OpenAlex
35. Miller Lisa (2021). The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life . The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
36. Peterson C (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification . Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
37. Llewellyn E. van Zyl , Jaclyn Gaffaney , Leoni van der Vaart , Bryan J. Dik , Stewart I Donaldson (2024). The critiques and criticisms of positive psychology: a systematic review . The Journal of Positive Psychology, 19(2), 206-235. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2023.2178956 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4321605637

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
38. Nadine M. Lambert , Kay E. Ketzenberger (2008). American Psychologist . Encyclopedia of Special Education, 112-113. Wiley.

    Type: Other DOI: 10.1002/9780470373699.speced0116 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4238467055

    OpenAlex
39. Robert Chapman *Autistic author. Learn more… (2023). Empire of Normality . Pluto Press.

    Type: Book DOI: 10.2307/jj.8501594 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4388587234

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
40. Daniel Glenn (2022). Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities . World Futures, 78(5), 339-341. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/02604027.2022.2094194 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4285727398

    OpenAlex
41. Ruch WF (2020). B20 JPosit Psychol, 15(2020), 680.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
42. Pierre Pichère (2015). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs . Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
43. Abigail P. Blyler , Martin E. P. Seligman (2024). Personal narrative and stream of consciousness: an AI approach . The Journal of Positive Psychology, 19(4), 592-598. Informa UK Limited.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2023.2257666 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4386790659

    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
44. Rachel Grove , Hayley Clapham *Autistic author. Learn more… , Tess Moodie *Autistic author. Learn more… , Sarah Gurrin *Autistic author. Learn more… , Gabrielle Hall *Autistic author. Learn more… (2023). ‘Living in a world that’s not about us’: The impact of everyday life on the health and wellbeing of autistic women and gender diverse people . Women's Health, 19, 17455057231189542-17455057231189542. SAGE Publications.

    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/17455057231189542 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4386878456

    AutiHub · Autistic Scholars Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
45. (2019). Sins Invalid. Skin, Tooth, and Bone: The Basis of Movement is Our People . Sins Invalid. Skin, Tooth, and Bone: The Basis of Movement is Our People.

    Type: Other

    Crossref
46. Walker, Nick (2021). Neuroqueer heresies notes on the neurodiversity paradigm, autistic empowerment, and postnormal possibilities . Neuroqueer heresies: Notes on the neurodiversity paradigm, autistic empowerment, and postnormal possibilities.

    Type: Other OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W7011697317

    Crossref
47. Najeeb P (2002). B39 Neurodiversity, 2, 275463302412330.

    Type: Other

    Crossref